Keep it simple....

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Like I needed another favorite recipe! and don't worry if you don't have a doughnut pan, just make muffins!

The recipe also says you can use concentrated apple juice instead of the boiled cider but you won't get the flavor out of it. It only takes an hour or 2 to boil down a quart of cider and have your 2 tablespoons. Try it!

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

Adapted
from King Arthur Flour
If you'd rather coat the doughnuts in cinnamon and sugar (which I highly
recommend trying!), try this technique from A Cambridge Story: Brush
the doughnuts with cider and coat with a mix of 2 tablespoons of sugar
and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. If you go this route, you can skip the
glaze below.
The boiled cider is optional (you can use apple concentrate if you'd
rather, but make sure to see the note below and add lemon to the glaze)
if you don't want to shell out the money for it or make it yourself, but
I have to say, it's pretty tasty and is great for salad dressings and
it's even great in a glass of seltzer.

Yield

6 doughnuts

Ingredients

For the Doughnuts:

2
tablespoons soft butter

2
tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4
cup sugar

1/2
teaspoon salt

1
teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon

1/8
teaspoon ground nutmeg

2
tablespoons boiled cider or thawed frozen apple juice concentrate

1
large egg

1
teaspoon baking powder

1/8
teaspoon baking soda

1/4
cup Hi-maize Fiber (optional)

1
cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1/2 cup milk

For the Glaze:

3
tablespoons boiled cider or thawed frozen apple juice concentrate*

1 1/2
cups sugar

2
tablespoons corn syrup or honey

1/4
cup water

Instructions

To make the doughnuts:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a standard doughnut pan.

Beat
together the butter, oil, sugar, salt, and spices. Beat in the boiled
cider, then the egg. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

In
another bowl, whisk together the baking powder, baking soda, Hi-maize
(if using), and flour. Stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients
alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour. Spoon the
batter into the pan, smoothing the tops.

Bake
the doughnuts for 10 to 12 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into
one comes out clean. Remove them from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then
turn out onto a rack to cool.

To make the glaze:

Place
all the glaze ingredients into a saucepan. Cook over medium heat,
stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved. Bring the mixture to a
boil, cover the pan, and boil for 3 minutes. Remove the cover and boil
for a few more minutes, until the syrup reaches soft ball stage, 240°F
on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat, and cool slightly.

Carefully dip the doughnut tops in the warm syrup (reheat the syrup if it's thickened too much) and place on a rack.

Notes

Any extra syrup will hold for up to a week, covered, in the refrigerator.
*If you use apple juice concentrate, add 1 teaspoon lemon juice; the concentrate isn't as flavorful as boiled cider. OR you can make your own boiled cider!

Boiled Cider (Apple Molasses)

Boiled
Cider is everything wonderful about fall condensed into one syrup. It's
pure, distilled essence of apple. It's completely and utterly
wonderful. And you get all this just by boiling a pot of cider.

Ingredients

2
gallons apple cider (or less,
but remember you will be reducing this to 1/7th of it's original
volume.)

Instructions

Pour
apple cider into a very large, non-reactive stockpot (stainless steel,
copper, or glass, but NOT aluminum unless it's coated.)

Use a clean ruler or wooden stick that you can mark with the starting level of the cider.

Turn
heat to high, cover the pot with a splatter screen (to prevent flies or
other insects from dropping into the pot) and bring to a boil.

Boil
the cider hard until it has reduced to 1/7th of its original volume.
Watch more carefully toward the end because it may creep up higher in
the pan as it becomes thicker and bubbles stack up on each other. Turn
off the heat and let the bubbles die down to check the depth of the
liquid with your ruler or dipstick. You should end up with approximately
the volume that it takes to fill a clean, empty 750ml wine bottle.

Pour
into a clean, sterile jar (for long term storage) or a clean, empty
wine bottle (for short term, refrigerated storage). Cover tightly and
store in a cool, dark place.

Notes

Boiled Cider started as a way the settlers devised to preserve cider
long past when even hard cider would be drinkable and would pass into
irretrievably vinegar territory. Kept in a bottle on the pantry shelf,
this stuff lasted through the winter and into the next apple season for
them and it will do the same for you.
What do you do with Boiled Cider? Let me get you started, but once you have this handy, you’ll be off and running.

Drizzle over vanilla ice cream.

Use to baste pork roasts or chops, ham, chicken or glaze other meats.

Stir a little into hot tea.

Pour some into a mug, add a shot of whiskey or brandy, and top off with hot water.

Toss a tablespoon or two to the sliced apples for a pie or apple
crisp. You will be blown away by how much more appley it tastes. (I know
many professional bakers add this to their pies and crisps as their
secret ingredient!)

Whisk into cream cheese icing for a pumpkin spice cake and be prepared for the compliments.

Note: This recipe calls for 4 rolls but I'm sure you could probably use 5. the burgers are pretty big.

Put the meat in a large bowl. Add the onion soup and mix it up with your fingers.Whip up the egg in a glass with a fork and add it to your bowl. Squish everything around with your fingers.Add 2 Tablespoons of your favorite burger flavoring and mix that in.Sprinkle on the bread crumbs and mix them in just as evenly as you can. They’ll soak up some of the egg and the meat juices.Take 4 unsliced Kaiser Rolls and carve out the insides. Be very careful that you don’t make a hole in the bottom. Try to leave at least a quarter-inch of bread around the inside of the roll and on the bottom.

Note: There are two ways to prepare your Kaiser Rolls. One way is to pick out the insides until it resembles a little bread bowl. The other way is to cut a thin slice off the top of the roll, set it aside, and then pick out the bread inside until it resembles a little bread bowl. If you choose to get rid of the top, your burger will look brown and delicious. If you choose to pack your meat mixture inside and then clamp on the lid, your burger won’t brown as much. This method, however, has the added advantage of allowing you to take off the top after it’s baked and add extras like lettuce, pickles, and sliced tomato before clamping the top back on again.You decide. They’re delicious both ways.

Spoon about ¼ cup of the meat mixture into each hollow Kaiser Roll. One pound of lean ground sirloin should fill 4 Kaiser Rolls. If you’re afraid the juices are going to leak out the bottom and run all over your oven, bake the rolls in a disposable aluminum pan with sides or in a cake pan lined with foil.Bake the Oven Burgers at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes. Serve warm. If you’d like to add cheese, take them out of the oven 5 minutes early, put on a piece of cheese, and stick them back in again for the remaining 5 minutes.

2nd Note: The roll gets pretty crunchy when made into 4 burgers if you make 5, cut down on the cooking time and maybe they won't be quite so crunchy.

3rd Note: If you can’t find Kaiser Rolls, any round bakery roll that’s not too soft will work. Make sure your rolls are over 2 and 1/2 inches high, unsliced, and the size of a large hamburger bun. I’ve even used unsliced hamburger buns from grocery stores that have bakeries. I haven’t tried this recipe with commercial hamburger buns (the kind you find in the bread aisle), but instinct tells me they’ll be too soft and the juices from the hamburger will probably leak out.

beat the egg in a separate dish with a fork and make sure to measure the coolwhip. a 16 oz container has more than 2 cups in it. Mix all ingredients together. Batter will be stiff and sticky. Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet. Bake @350 for 10-12 min. cool on wire rack. Top with powdered sugar if you like. Makes approx 3 dozen cookies.
Note: These cookies don't spread out a lot and are soft and fluffy. I used cherry chip and next will try chocolate fudge. You can also make additions like dried fruits and chocolate chips or nuts. Be creative!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

This recipe comes from ( Believe it or not) a series of murder mystery books I have been reading, by Joanne Fluke. This is an amazing fall recipe and as a bonus, it makes the whole house smell wonderful.

* I chopped my apples in a food processor. You can also shred them or just dice them up really small*

Melt butter, add the sugars, and stir. Add baking soda, salt, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and beaten eggs. Mix well. Then add chopped apple and 1 1/2 cups flaked coconut. (Reserve 1/2 cup for on top.) Add the flour and mix it all thoroughly. Grease a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan. Spoon the dough in and smooth it with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup coconut you reserved evenly on top ( press it down a little so it sticks after it's baked). Bake at 375 degrees F. for 25 to 30 minutes, or until slightly browned on top. Let cool and cut into bars like brownies.
I think this would be good with a caramel sauce on it but it's great all by itself.

Note: Not sure why this is considered a "bar" it bakes up more like a cake or muffin.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Well it sure has been a while but I thought I should drop in and say HI! Noticing today that I have all of 1 follower (thanks Carrie) I figure I better start keeping up. Some days I just don"t have time. With working and trying to get the new house done, it's been pretty crazy around here. Just finished putting a new roof on this old place which BTW is for sale if you know anyone interested in an old stone house with lots or grass to mow. Needless to say it was an uneventful summer and we didn't do much other than work, work and go to camp, oh and work! Well now that colder weather is around the corner maybe I will remember to update this a little more often. Til then, See ya later

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Why is it that most women are expected... NOT ASKED but expected to do the housekeeping, the laundry, the cooking and well anything else around the house that needs to be done EVEN AFTER working a full 8 hour work day. I mean come on!!! how much energy are we supposed to have for 1 day. we work and so do the men in our lives. The kids go to school and have homework to do. If everyone has had a full day already then shouldn't we all pitch in and help out around the house. I've been told that it's my job but I have never seen a paycheck from it. In fact I rarely even hear a thank you for it. Thinking I should go on strike until the union can negotiate a better contract!!!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Well you guessed it, another year come and gone and camp is closed for the season. What a great year it was. Lots of food, friends, fires and ooooohhhhh the jello shots. Yeah I tend to overindulge but so what, you only live once and life is ttoooo short not to do what you love (or who lol) but anyway....everyone packed up everything they had and closed up their campers for another season. What a long winter this will be. Still seems so out of place, we do this every year, this year so many people weren't there.They were missed so much by everyone this year. Next season wont be any different. OK past the sentimental stuff. I am going to miss the late night fires and talks with friends.The kids laughing and having fun ( young and old) Just too bad we waited too late in the year for the dinner get togethers. Didn't I say I was done with the sentimental stuff? oh well so I get a little emotional sometimes...Get over it! We will of course see each other through the winter but it's never the same. There is just something about the crackling fire, looking up at the stars, full moons, the wind blowing through the trees, but the friends are still the best thing about it. They are always there for each other and we can talk about ANYTHING!!! And most will do anything for each other. I will always value the friends I have there and will treasure forever the memories made with the friends we have lost along the way. So until next spring rolls around, I hope for many many gatherings with those friends through the winter and next year hope to see them all happy and safe as we begin another season. Love to you all and see you soon!!Oo